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What’s In My Kitchen Pantry
Essential Seasonings for Everyday French Cooking
If someone asked me what I would take from my pantry if I knew I was going to be shipwrecked, I would probably answer just 3 things: sea salt, Espelette pepper, and herbes de Provence. Well, 4, if you include a glass of wine, which I personally consider central to French living and almost as important as any of the seasonings I listed above. For me, those three things are indispensable for everyday French home cooking. Though if my wife overheard this, she would promptly burst out laughing before opening my cabinets and exposing all my lies.
Pantries are easily filled with items you only use for one recipe before relegating them to the back corners of your cabinet. So, I will start with the basics and provide hints where you could keep going if you were so inclined.
Let’s begin with the basic seasonings.
The Holy Trinity of Salts
At home, I use 3 different kinds of sea salt, each with a specific purpose.
La Baleine brand fine sea salt comes from the Mediterranean, and you will find it in every single French…